More
troubles appear to be staring the controversial Catholic Priest and Founder of
Adoration Ministry, Enugu Catholic Archdiocese, Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka, in the
face following his statement urging Nigerians to reject President Goodluck
Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and vote for Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (rtd ) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 14
presidential election.
Speaking
in an interview, the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Metropolitan See,
Cardinal John Onaiyekan, said given the rules of the church, Fr. Mbaka ought to
be sanctioned.
This
came as Onaiyekan cautioned the PDP and opposition, All Progressives Congress
(APC) to desist from campaigns of calumny.
He
stated that prophecies of doom ahead of 2015 elections notwithstanding,
“PDP and APC have no right to disorganise Nigeria.”
Onaiyekan,
commenting on Fr Mbaka, said the priest went overboard in his statement
insinuating that President Jonathan’s administration has been plagued with ‘bad
luck’ and poor performance.
Onaiyekan
distanced the Catholic Church from Mbaka’s statement, stating that,
“Mbaka will take responsibilities for his own actions. I do not believe in my
mind that the way things are in Nigeria, any Catholic priest has the mandate to
decide which of the political contestants should be voted for. What most of us
will do is to tell people to vote according to their conscience and then, we
tell the authorities to allow people to vote freely and fairly.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if most people are not happy with the statement he made. From my reactions, you should see that I do not agree with him. I don’t believe a priest should be doing that.
“But,
like I said, Mbaka is a priest of his own type. If he was in my archdioceses, I
will have sanctioned him long ago for the kind of things and utterances that he
makes. But, he is not under my diocese; he has a Bishop to handle that if there
is any need,” the Cardinal observed.
Onaiyekan, rather maintained that Mbaka had earlier made insinuations that President Jonathan’s wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, will continue in office.
“I hope that people are not thinking that we are sending Mbaka to talk rubbish, how can they think that? If you want to hear anything even not official but at least, authoritative, then, you listen to the bishops. Rather than him and I don’t see any bishop talking that way.”
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